It’s the story of two projects, the proposed air fuel terminal in Montreal East and a liquid natural gas port facility in the Saguenay region. It’s the LNG project, with a proposed 650 kilometre pipeline, that caught my eye.

According to Le Devoir, the Quebec ministry of the environment has decided that these two projects, with the potential for thousands of jobs between them, won’t have to meet both “upstream” and “downstream” emissions tests before being approved.

Upstream emissions are the greenhouse gases created in generating the product. Downstream emissions are the greenhouse gases created when the product is used.

The article didn’t quote the federal environment ministry and so I contacted the office of Catherine McKenna through her press secretary Caroline Theriualt. I asked what the test would be for Energie Saguenay, would it be upstream and downstream?

When I asked why no downstream emissions test, I was told that those rules only apply to projects initiated after the interim rules set forth in January 2016 were unveiled. Try telling that to TransCanada Pipelines which had it’s Energy East project derailed when it was subject to new rules on upstream and downstream emissions mid-project.

Energy East was first proposed to the National Energy Board in 2013, Energie Saguenay was proposed in 2014. Frankly, I’d like to see them both go ahead without any extra regulations put upon them but it is too late for Energy East which was cancelled because it was forced to meet conditions that other projects have not had to meet.

While Energie Saguenay will carry natural gas from the Western Canadian Basin, meaning Alberta, Saskatchewan, parts of southern Manitoba and northern British Columbia, it seems to be getting a pass that a project more closely aligned with Alberta or Saskatchewan would not get.

It is preposterous to make a pipeline proponent account for every GHG emission from when the product is produced to when it is consumed in another part of the world unless your goal is no more pipelines.

When it comes to oil, that appears to be the Trudeau government’s goal. When it comes to a natural gas facility in a part of Quebec that the Liberals recently won a seat in, there appears to be a different set of criteria used.

I’d like to know where the protests are? Where are the interruptions of the NEB hearings? Where are the mayors gathering around to denounce this project which could see huge ships going up and down the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers carrying liquefied natural gas?

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want any of these things to happen, I want this project to go ahead. My question is why the double standard from the local governments, the Quebec government and most of all from the federal government of Justin Trudeau that once again appears to be playing favourites with Quebec at the expense of the rest of Canada?

I won’t hold my breath waiting for an answer.

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49 Comments

I don’t know if Trudeau hates Alberta oil and gas, or if he just hates Alberta in general. The Trudeau family disdain for Alberta is evident, but I wonder what it’s root cause is. is it oil and gas due to their emissions, or some socialist ideology about equality amongst provinces that drives it? Either way, Alberta is getting tired of being shafted at every turn.

Okay Ontario and the rest of Canada west of the Ontario/Quebec border; Raise either hand or both with Middle Finger(s) extended toward every Liberal Party Representative in every Government position.

Especially those who are only there because of a Quebec Birth and/or a Brother-in-law or Whatever who is a typical Crony insider Sleaze showing off the Power he has by getting His Lazy Brother-in-Law a Tax-payer funded Liberal Government Job.

Raise your Middle-Finger(s) high in the Air and Declare “I am Pissed and I will not allow this sleaze to continue by never— Voting For a Liberal Party — representative.

YES!! Most Canadians, or at least most Albertans want to know why Alberta gets shafted and Quebec gets approved??? Where all the western polititians and why aren’t they at least informing westerners about this?? The emissions would be the same in Quebec as in the west!!

Honestly, i think the motivation lies in increasing quebecs and other poorer eastern provinces up to a more equal financial standard as the rest of the country. Quebecs happy, housing markets are going up while alberta and bcs are going down( alot of chinease buyers have been coming in as of late). New railway systems are being built( not contracted by bombardier which i thought was a given) quebec by the help of trudeau is getting its spot in the sun for a minute. It is what it is

I have worked for 37 years supplying steel products to the Oil & Gas Industry, and went through the 1982 NEP by Pierre Trudeau. It is ironic that the Trudeau’s through their Grand Father made their fortunes on Oil & Gas in Western Canada, that part is never mentioned. Both Father and Son have a great distaste for Albertan’s, the main reason is that Alberta has been for decades the economic Engine of Canada, supplying close to 25% of the Gross National Revenues, that is three times higher than the Automotive industry. Pierre Trudeau NEP almost killed Alberta and it took over a decade to return to normal. I sincerely believe that Justin is completing what his Dad didn’t and is to bring Alberta to their knees and kill the Oil business completely.

I am confused. The pipeline mentioned in the article involves LNG from Alberta, as well as Sask. Man & BC. How is this screwing Alberta?
It is disturbing that the LNG pipeline from Alberta to Quebec has been approved without the question of greenhouse gases being settled. It is parallel to the question of the pipeline through cities of the Lower Mainland being approved without having to follow municipal by-laws. How is Alberta getting screwed.
If we have any hope of getting an oil pipeline from Alberta to New Brunswick passed, the issue of the resulting unemployment in Quebec must be addressed. This seems to go a long way towards accomplishing that. How does this screw Alberta?
This article could have a different title, but that wouldn’t accomplish the goal of angering people who will not read the article.

I agree: “It is parallel to the question of the pipeline through cities of the Lower Mainland being approved without having to follow municipal by-laws. How is Alberta getting screwed.” Granted LNG is different from diluted bitumen when pipelines burst. Personally, I would nationalize all fossil fuels in order to refine and consume all within the country, and only export surplus refined product. Yes, I am radical, but I have found that even with only one eye I have better vision than most.

Where do you get your information from? What 18 drilling rigs off Nova Scotia? There will be one after April for BP. There is a jack up decommissioning the Sable Gas project and one other project for Encana that have talks of being decommissioned soon. so that will mean in the next two years no gas or oil production off Nova Scotia.

they hate alberta because peter lougheed stood up to tudeau senior against the NEP in the 70’s and his version of Canada being basically Ont and Que , with the praries supplying natural resources at below word prices, making us the country bumpkins, never been able to develop a strong economic base.

He just hates Alberta and Albertan’s in general. He’s continuing on the legacy of his old man.The idea of Alberta being able to stand on it’s own and demand a better position in Parliament is not in central Canada’s best interest. A strong Alberta controlled oil industry also doesn’t sit well with the grand scheme of the New World Order. Did anyone else notice one of the first people to come meet with Jr. was George Soros, this man holds a permanent seat in the notorious Bilderberg Group. The old man was a guest a couple of times at one of the yearly meeting, as was Martin , then finance minster, PM Jean Chreitian.
It’s to a point that the only recourse that Alberta and the west have is to leave confederation and build a new nation. Sorry folks but we’re just tired of being crapped on by Ottawa and the governments of central Canada

Craig he doesn’t hate the west, he doesn’t even really know that it is part of Canada. The Moron figures that Canada ends just west of the GTA. It really is funny that a land locked portion of the country can be held ransom. The sickening part is that while tankers, carrying oil/gas/LPG etc< can freely ply the waters of Quebec and the Maritime's with impunity, the left coasters get their panties all in a giant twist at the thought of a few more tankers in their waters. No mention from the left coast about all those tankers in the far off shores of Eastern Canada. Two different worlds

The root cause for the Alberta hate by the Trudeaus’ began with Pierre, whose hate was very personal because he felt personally humiliated. He was bested and out-maneuvered by Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed during the NEP and other on-going constitutional federal/provincial issues. Mr. Lougheed was more intelligent and was also a Statesman in his dealings with Trudeau, Sr. That personal hate transferred to all things Alberta and was passed on to Junior. The only problem, in my opinion, is that Mr. Lougheed did not heed the wishes of most Albertans at the time and that was to declare our independence and remove Alberta from the Confederation of Canada. However, hope springs eternal.

I would say the root cause goes back much further. Alberta became a last stand and refuge for some from the great American populist movement, exemplified by William Jennings Bryan. U.S. ex-pat Henry Wise Wood was a driving force behind the U.F.A government, J.W. Leedy, ex populist governor of Kansas who settled in my own town of Whitecourt Alberta, and was involved with the U.F.A and later social credit movement. These experienced reformers found fertile ground for their ideas an Alberta already tired of the abuses of the East in the early 1900’s. The essence of the ensuing movement was an honest money system, with the goal of individual freedom. Social Credit was born out this drive. There is too much of this spirit of justice and individualism remaining in Alberta to suit those the Trudeaus are in bed with; which are the Marxist oriented, banksters pushing for collectivism, debt slavery, and subservience to big gov owned by big money. In short, a contest between good and evil.

This is the most ridiculous clown government, lead by Captain Crayon, in the history of this country! These mind boggling statements and decisions, must be a direct result of marijuana useage. At least it’s a project that may go ahead, but why can’t this government think about the economies of all provinces and the beenfits to all Canadians? What an idiot!

Well if Quebec is going to get everything they want & Alberta is going to build it with with Equalization payments, then I think Alberta needs to withdraw from Equalization payments. It is the most unfair system ever devised by the Liberal government. Quebec still owes lberta Billion in unpaid loans for Quebec Hydro. It’s time the West stood up for itself Saskatchewan included. Energy East has no good reason to get cancelled. Peter Pan, Notley & Quebec all plotted against it, so now Irving Oil in New Brunswick will continue to Monopolize imported Oil & Gas(LNG) into Canada.

Look where the new increased gas sales are coming from… you got it USA!!!! Alberta Gas sales are in the tank…below cost – USA Natural gas sales to Ontario are up… yes this is the truth. just like Ontario foreign oil purchases are up…It has never been about climate – it has always been about blocking Canada from the world markets – US backed tides and Sirrah club backed Trudeau’s election campaign and now he is their puppet and is doing excactly what they ask…day one he blocked Canadian oil from ships on the west cost…(Okay for Alaskan oil though) Obama’s election team helped Trudeau get elected…Obama said he was all for the environmnet but doubled USA oil production built thousands of miles of pipelines and now the USA is the number 1 oil producer in the world… yes bigger than the Saudis. when are people going to figure out we are being scammed by this Prime Minister and he is working for foreign oil – (Obama gave 20 Billion to his oil friends in Africa to build a pipeline to get their oil to tide water. )

It is the same old thing all the time, everyone bows down to the whims of Quebec and to hell with the rest of the country. The rest of us should have been able to vote them out when they were doing their separatist referendums years ago. Then we would not be stuck with Quebec or Trudeau!!

where are the western Canadian (Alberta and Saskatchewan) members of parliament and why are they not speaking out for us? the few liberals that are voted in out west should be screaming bloody murder about this. its time to lobby locally and then the attention will grow. or at least but some western Canadian members of parliament on notice.
OR
this marriage is broken and its time to admit it, tell the children and move on for whats best for all..

Do you seriously believe in today’s global, multinational, multi-billion dollar corporations world we live in today, that the west can survive as an independent group???? Seriously ????
If Canada does not stick as one, we lose our leverage in the very, very big world.
BTW, it is my experience that only children threaten to run away when they don’t get their way. Just saying ……

IMO, Trudeau and others, get away with this nonsense because we no longer have a functioning news medial in Canada to hold them honest. We have no investigative journalist who see it as their job to poke into those dark places we cannot go and bring a light onto what our governments are doing there in the dark. Lots of cat and puppy videos tho
As an example, since we have no actual journalists in Canada, it is very possible that due to a lack of proper coverage, a misanthrope will become leader of Ontario in the very near future. Their questionable past an open book, left unread and unreported. Cat and puppy videos to follow. Stay tuned.
We need more people who investigate and tell it like it is?
People with a wholesome distrust of people in power?
People who will stay on focus beyond the 24 hr cycle until issues are resolved
It’s time IMO to replace our existing “news” with something less profit driven and more truth driven. Perhaps something web based (like this page) just like we did the music and art industries. Then today’s journalists can be teach in our schools as part of a history program

For the first time in my life. From a person who loves Canada so deeply. I think it’s time the idea of Western Canada Separation is actually worth considering. Never seen such a clown as this moron and I voted for him cause i thought the were a better kinder choice.

Delusional silver spoon babbling out of his depth globalist sell out ….who puts the needs and priorities of Canada and it’s people last. Justin Trudeau.

I am so Disillusioned by double standards in our country. We Canadians are held to a higher standard then other countries. As a leader It’s Justin’s duty to see that all provinces are treated equally with no Quebec bias. Credit where credit is due. Shame on the Trudeau bias. Cut of the transfer payments legislated when Canada’s oil sands were developed. I know when people get overpaid they get over confident. Quebec and Trudeau are over paid. Biting the hand that feeds them.

The ‘Hairdo who would be King’ needs to be dethroned !
We, those of us who abhor what people(he) and his carful of people(clowns) are doing to our once great country need to stand up and be counted !
There were rallies held across the country on April 2 12 noon local, City Hall, to meet with like-minded Canadians and share our displeasure, disappointment, disgust, etc…..
We need to wake-up the sleeping Canadians who do not see what is happening in Canada and the direction ‘we’ are being steered.
Watch for and plan to join the next Trudeau Resistance Rally tentatively scheduled for June 2 12 noon local, City Hall.